Investigation of Complaints
Legal framework for the protection of whistleblowers
The Protection of Persons Reporting Breaches of Union and National Law of 2022 (Law 6(I)/2022) (law in greek) was published on 4 February 2022 (you can find an English translation of the Law by the Office of the Law Commissioner here). The Law provides, among others, for the protection of persons who report acts or omissions relating to the commission or potential commission of specific breaches of European Union law, as well as acts or omissions related to the commission or possible commission of a criminal offence, acts or omissions related to non-compliance with any legal obligation imposed on a person, and breaches which cause or may cause damage to the environment.
Persons entitled to protection are those who report breaches of European Union or national law, third persons associated with the reporting person and who may endure retaliation in a work-related context and legal entities that the reporting person owns, works for or is otherwise assosiated within a work-related context.
The conditions for the protection of persons filing a report are also defined in the Law. Legal entities in the public and private sector are also required to establish channels and procedures for internal reporting of breaches.
Protection is also provided under certain conditions to a person who makes a public disclosure of breaches, and a duty of confidentiality applies regarding the identity of the reporting person, including any other information from which the identity of the reporting person may be directly or indirectly deduced.
Measures are also established to protect the reporting person from retaliation against them, and provide them with support. Finally, relevant criminal offenses are established for natural persons who:
(a) hinder or attempt to hinder reporting; or
(b) retaliate against a reporting person; or
(c) bring vexatious proceedings against a reporting person; or
(d) breach the duty of maintaining the confidentiality of the identity of the reporting person.
Criminal offenses are also established for persons who knowingly report or publicly disclose false information.
For details on the implementation of Law 6(I)/2022 you may consult the relevant page of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.
You can view the flow of investigation of complaints concerning incidents affecting the financial interests of the Union by clicking here (page in Greek).
Competent Authorities for receiving and investigating complaints
Interested parties may apply to the Competent Authorities for receiving and investigating complaints in the Republic of Cyprus, as listed below. Using the links provided below, interested parties can be redirected to the relevant pages of the competent bodies, where they can file complaints directly: